Compass: Part 1

 Two boys dressed in tan and green camouflage dashed across an open field with primitive bows drawn, hunting a feral fox-like beast that stood as tall as a grown man and kept its den near the city of Tropus, as was the traditional right of passage for a nomadic boy on his 13^th birthday. They spent the whole day tracking the animal and was finally on its trail as it led them towards the beach. As they caught up with it, the beast seemed to forget that it was being chased. It began digging in the sand with its back to them. One boy signaled to the other with his hand and the other began stepping lightly to his left. The first boy strafed to his right, circling to the creature's side to get its attention, and if necessary block its retreat. The first boy again gestured to his hunting partner to be ready to fire a second shot if his own should miss, then proceeded to take aim on the animal that continued to dig in the sand.

The boy hesitated, observing the creature's behavior a bit longer. His face expressed confusion as he lowered his bow. The second boy glared at the first as if to remind him, We need to kill this thing and bring it back to the elder before night! Entranced by the fox-like animal's digging, the first boy stepped slowly towards it to avoid alarming it. The second boy grew frustrated and took aim, letting his arrow fly straight into the animal's shoulder. A loud roar escaped its mouth as its eyes grew wide and fixed onto its attacker. Forgetting its unusual digging, it turned and began to charge him as he rushed to ready a second arrow. Before the beast could realize what was happening, both boys had already sent arrows into it, one into the skull the other into the lower spine. The boy who was being charged at dove out of the way without a second thought as their prey fell and slid onto the ground, shaking as its wounds bled its life from its body.

As the second boy stood up and dusted himself off, he glared at the other who was now looking into the hole. “You want to tell me what that was all about, Abel?”

“Cain, just come look at this. The prey forgot all about us when it got here.” Abel knelt down and reached into the hole, finding a wooden lock-box lined with rusted iron plates. “I think we need to take this to the elder. Whatever is in here had that animal acting weird.”

Cain sighed. “Fine, I don't really care. Just get over here and help me with this.” He lifted one foreleg over his shoulder and waited for his friend to take hold of the other. “We need to hurry back to the camp before the sun sets or we'll fail the right of passage.”

As the boys hauled their catch across the wilderness, the sun hung above the horizon. Fortunately for them, the time in the area they made their catch was crawling slowly along, giving them ample time to trek the five miles back to camp. Abel's eyes kept shifting back towards the sea. Colors painted the sky in vibrant, orange hues. As they approached their tribe's camp, Cain noticed Abel's distant look. “Hey, looks like we made it back in time.”

“Hmm...” was Abel's only response.

“I wonder what sis is making for dinner.” Cain tried breaking the silence, yet the box remained on his mind. He was certain he had seen the markings on it somewhere before but could not recall exactly where, especially since many of the markings were faded by the rust.

While still a hundred feet away from the entrance to their camp, one of the lookouts saw them approaching and sounded the bell to alert the tribe. Many children came rushing up to greet them and congratulate their success, as parents and guards soon followed to part the crowd so that the boys could reach the center of the camp. Gradually, they made their way into the border and along the path until they stood in the middle of the whole camp, surrounded by their peers and elders. Tired from their ordeal, the boys hoisted the dead beast from their shoulders and dropped it onto the ground. Abel fell to his knees as Cain leaned on the corpse, facing the decorated tent, waiting for their elder. A hush fell over the crowd as the tent opened. From the shadows of the drapes came a short old man, slowly stepping towards the boys, propping himself on his iron cane. His white beard moved in the wind, his eyes reflecting the setting sun in their gray glaze.

“I see you boys had a bit of difficulty,” he said in a deep, raspy voice, noting their apparent weariness. The elder reached out a hand and rested it on the beast's head above the arrow that protruded from its skull. “But it is clear that you were successful. The right of passage does not usually involve such a large animal, but I knew I saw potential in the two of you. Surely, you two carry a gifted understanding of synergy that you may not yet be aware of.”

Cain was the first to speak up. “Thank you, elder. I only wish that this hunt brings honor to the tribe.”

“Of course,” he replied. “After all, the elders of Tropus city were telling us that this animal had been causing them some problems lately.” A moment passed before the elder turned to Abel. “Something on your mind, son?”

It did not take long to realize that he had lost himself in thought. “Actually, elder,” Abel began, “something strange happened when we caught up with our prey.” Taking out the lock-box, Abel handed it over to the elder. “It started digging in the sand and uncovered this. I could not quite make out what kind of lock it had, and the markings seem somehow familiar, so I was hoping you might be able to tell me more about it.”

The elder took the box and stared into Abel's eyes. “I see. So your hunt brought us a treasure, as well as some provisions. I must say, you two, I am very pleased with your efforts.” Turning back towards his tent with a smile, he continued, “Cain, keep honing your skills as a hunter. Now that you're a man, we may need your skill on future hunts. Abel, I will want to see you tomorrow. After a good night's sleep, meet me here. I should have some answers for you by then. For now, enjoy the spoils of your labor with the rest of the tribe.” With that, the elder returned to his tent.

The tribes-people let out cheer after cheer, congratulating the new men on their success. The men took hold of the beast to prepare it for a celebration meal while the girls of the tribe rushed to the boys' sides to ask them all manner of questions about their hunt. Cain stood up in the middle of the group, telling the tale of their chase with wide hand gestures, exaggerating some of the details for the sake of impressing the admirers.

Abel, on the other hand, slipped out of the crowd to sit on top of one of the lookout towers, watching the sunset from the comfort of his home. He enjoyed the spontaneous festivals of his tribe, but something about the ocean seemed to have an air of mystery about it. He spent much of his free time studying his people's history, and knew much of the world's geography, including the fact that the sea composed the center of their world. While thinking about just what lie at the unknown reaches of the ocean, a greeting rang up from the ground below Abel, snapping him back into reality. He recognized the voice immediately as Cain's sixteen-year-old sister, Beth.